After putting groceries away this week, it occurred to me that we are pretty well stocked up for food! So I thought I’d challenge myself to drop our grocery budget this month from $80/week to $60/week. I’ve been coming in regularly around $60/week, and that includes stockpiling items. So if I lay off the stockpiling and just get produce and milk/eggs, etc, then perhaps I could just spend $40-$50 at the grocery store and the rest at the farmer’s market (for tomatoes…salsa and spaghetti sauce…and apples for crockpot applesauce!) So that’s the plan for September…

This week’s trip…

*HOT DEALS*

Barilla Pasta – $.50/box I knew this was on sale for $1 a box a few weeks back, but the sale doesn’t expire until 9/13. There were coupons in a recent newspaper insert, I believe the 8/23 insert. So match the $1/2 coupons with the $1 sale price and you get 1 lb. boxes of pasta…and WHOLE GRAIN…for just $.50/box! I bought 8 boxes

Produce – Not the greatest produce sale this week…great price on corn ($.17/ear) and broccoli ($1.48/bunch). Remember, when produce is on sale by the bunch (and not by the lb.), grab the LARGEST bunch to get the most for your $$$!

Meats - Chicken breast on sale for $1.99/lb and used $1 Tyson coupons, and 2 packages of Private Selection steaks…total of $2.46. I used a $2 off PS meat coupon from a Kroger mailer. One of the packages only cost $2.o6, so I only paid $.06 for that package and only $2.40 for the other. So we’ll be grilling steaks sometime soon!!!

Comments

We did our Kroger shopping last night and this was the first time I realized that they give you $0.03 off for each reusable bag you bring in! We brought in our Sam’s Club bags, they are so big! And they gave us money off just for that. It’s a great way to save alittle. {I’m not sure if you knew about this already} The best deal we found was Activia was $1.88 for a 4 pack and I had $1.00 off coupons from the paper and online. It was so awesome!!! My hubby didn’t realize how much of a thrifty shopper I was until last night. It’s become a challenge now!

Woot, woot You saved more than you spent. That’s ALWAYS exciting!! I’m jealous of your Barilla stockpile, though… somehow that week I didn’t get that insert, and all the inserts I’ve gotten from other people have them cut out already Might be a good coupon to get from ebay…

The age old question: Is it okay to use 2 coupons on 1 product? Sometimes I end up with 2 coupons for the same product but I’m never sure if it’s really ok to buy 1 box of pasta and use 2 50 cent coupons.

I’m only in the 30s percent wise in savings, but I just got back from Kroger myself!

A couple GREAT deals we got:

Select Kelloggs cereal on sale for 3/$9 and if you buy 3, you get a FREE gallon of milk.
We got Raisin Bran Crunch, regularly $5.49 for $3 each, plus the free gallon of milk.
Normal price for all 4: $18.45

All Pepsi and Coke 12 packs were on sale for 4/$11, but the special deal was that if you got 5, each would be $2.20. Basically, buy 4 at the sale price, get the 5th for free. We paid $11 for 5 12-packs.
Normal price for all 5: $25.45

Turkey Hill iced tea half gallons are normally $1.99 each, on sale for $1. I had 2 coupons for $1 off 2 so each ended up being $.50 for a total of $2.
Normal price for all: $7.96

Yoplait individual yogurt servings are normally $.60 each. I had 2 coupons for $.40 off 6, which doubled up to $.80 and they were on sale 10/$5. We got 12 for $4.40. This isn’t huge savings, but that’s a lot of individual servings!
Normal price for all: $7.20

I got 8 8-oz cheese packs because that was the size that was on sale and I need a LOT of cheese for my recipes this month. I’ll actually probably end up needing more, but I just grabbed that plus my WIC cheese and we’ll see where it’ll go from here. They are normally $2.69 each. I got them for 4/$5. My grand total for these was $10.
Normal price for all: $21.52

Pasta was normally $1.59. It was on sale 10/$10 and I had a coupon for $1 off 2. I got them both for a total of $1 ($.50 each!!)
Normal price for all: $3.18
**This is the same deal listed above!!**

Hot Pockets were on sale too, but I don’t remember what my coupon was for. =\ sorry!

This is my first month of menu planning and REALLY planning the grocery trip. We aren’t as healthy as Erin, but it’s a little tough for my SO. He’s got some really tough food habits that we’re slowly working to break. Example? The pop.

It depends upon what store one goes to— doesn’t hurt to check! At Kroger, this is not the case, however.

I am most saddened that my local Food 4 Less (a Kroger affiliate) will not accept Internet coupons, even though the official policy is acceptance as long as it is a manufacturer’s coupon with a scannable code and an expiration date. I take a surprising amount of my grocery business to the local CVS as a result.